


Lying Prince

by Void64



Category: K-pop, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, But he doesn't mean to be, But he lets it go, Cute Jeon Jungkook, Established Kim Namjoon | Rap Monster/Kim Seokjin | Jin, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff and Angst, JHope hates Jungkook, Jealous Jung Hoseok | J-Hope, Jealous Kim Taehyung | V, Jealousy, Jeon Jungkook & Min Yoongi | Suga Bromance, Jeon Jungkook is Whipped, Jimin has a small crush on Jungkook, Jungkook had low self confidence, Jungkook is scary, Kim Namjoon | Rap Monster Is a Dork, Kim Taehyung | V & Park Jimin Are Best Friends, Kim Taehyung | V Is Bad at Feelings, Kim Taehyung | V Is a Little Shit, Love Triangles, M/M, Minor Jung Hoseok | J-Hope/Park Jimin, Park Jimin Is a Good Friend, Park Jimin Is a Tease, Self Confidence Issues, Shy Jeon Jungkook, Soft Jeon Jungkook, Soft Park Jimin, Suga is introduced later, Sweet Jeon Jungkook, Tae's an amazing actor, Taehyung is perfect at everything, Video Cameras, but he warms up, but only at the end, feelings are played with, protect jungkook
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-01
Updated: 2018-06-01
Packaged: 2018-11-22 00:28:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11368788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Void64/pseuds/Void64
Summary: Jeon Jungkook is the infamous bad boy of the school, feared by both students and teachers, while Kim Taehyung is the perfect student, with straight As and a good sports record. Really, no one found any reason for them to even be interacting with each other. How the hell did they even end up dating is a mystery to anyone. Except not all is what is seems from the outside.Turns out, the bad boy of the school is actually an innocent boy with huge social anxiety. A soft little bunny with a scary glare and bulging muscle, but a sweet smile and a kind heart. All he has ever wanted was some friends, but ever since he was young, his appearance always seemed to scare everyone away. Living alone was especially daunting, but when a misunderstanding literally causes him to be kicked out of his apartment, Jeon Jungkook knew he was screwed.Enter Kim Taehyung, a literal angel in Jungkook's eyes.Except, after a bunch of incidents, including being roped into dating the man, Jungkook finally realized his mistake. Kim Taehyung was not an angel...He was the devil in disguise....Based on the Manga: “USOTSUKI OUJI TO NISEMONO KANOJO”





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Title: Lying Prince  
> Summary: Jeon Jungkook is the infamous bad boy of the school, feared by both students and teachers, while Kim Taehyung is the perfect student, with straight As and a good sports record. Really, no one found any reason for them to even be interacting with each other. How the hell did they even end up dating is a mystery to anyone. Except not all is what is seems from the outside.
> 
> Turns out, the bad boy of the school is actually an innocent boy with huge social anxiety. A soft little bunny with a scary glare and bulging muscle, but a sweet smile and a kind heart. All he has ever wanted was some friends, but ever since he was young, his appearance always seemed to scare everyone away. Living alone was especially daunting, but when a misunderstanding literally causes him to be kicked out of his apartment, Jeon Jungkook knew he was screwed.
> 
> Enter Kim Taehyung, a literal angel in Jungkook's eyes. 
> 
> Except, after a bunch of incidents, including being roped into dating the man, Jungkook finally realized his mistake. Kim Taehyung was not an angel...
> 
> He was the devil in disguise. 
> 
> Based on the Manga: “USOTSUKI OUJI TO NISEMONO KANOJO”

_How would you describe your ideal high school life?_

 

Jeon Jungkook imagined it to be fulfilling- spending time with his new friends, doing things most teenagers do. Of course there’d be ups and downs, and let’s not forget the classic bullying, but it still would have been all he has dreamed of.

 

Jungkook sighed despondently as he almost scrunched up the papers he had been holding. Mindlessly, he watched a group of friends walk into the classroom, laughter in their midst. Just watching them strengthened his resolve a bit.

 

“Umm, Jungkook-ssi? I am collecting the questionnaires for the student council.” A voice called out from behind him.

 

Jungkook tensed, hope blooming inside him. He had spent a few hours going through the entire questionnaire, something he bet most didn’t do, and gave carefully considered detailed answers. He had hoped to impress whoever was collecting them, or reading them, to befriend them.

 

He took a deep breath and turned in his chair. His hair fell on his eyes, casting a menacing shadow upon them- his eye makeup not helping the matter- and he croaked out, “What?”

 

The female paled at the sight and fled the room, forgetting to collect his paper.

 

Jungkook cleared his through and gasped “Wait! You forgot my-” but before he could finish, she had already left the classroom. He sighed and looked at the questionnaire forlornly. _I just needed to clear my throat._

 

The rest of the class hours went by slowly. By the end of it all, Jungkook realized that it was the only conversation he had all day. He pursed his lips and mused. _I am a hopeless loner._ Tears of frustration shimmered beneath his eyelids at the thought.

 

Ever since Jeon Jungkook was young, his pale skin and social awkwardness always made him seem like a scary loner. His hair was pitch black in contrast to his complexion and he had a permanent squint due to his poor eye sight. He didn’t have enough money to by contacts, and barely wore glasses even at home.  

 

He cringed when he remembered that not only the students feared him; the adults did too. Today, a teacher had called out to him in the middle of class to ask a question. The answer was easy enough, but at the moment, Jungkook had been squinting at the whiteboard to read a theory written in too small handwriting at the board. Mistaking his effort as anger, the teacher quickly redirected his question. Stuttering, he said “Ah-h n-n-no I-I meant Junghyun-ssi, not Jungkook-ssi, s-sorry.”

 

Jungkook simply blinked at this exchanged, while his classmate whined for bit before answering the question.

 

Jungkook knew that he unintentionally gave out a piss off aura due to his social awkwardness, but to what extent it affected his life was extremely confusing. High school was supposed to be a time when he could make strong friendships with his peers, and maybe even get a chance in love. It was all clearly stated in the reference book- read manga- lying innocently inside his bag.

 

 _Surely even someone like me could make at least one fr-_ His thoughts were interrupted when he overheard his name being spoken in a conversation.

 

“Dude, Jungkook looks like an asshole gangster from a movie. I bet he has many tattoos hidden under his long sleeves and maybe even some piercings other than his ears.” A male spoke in a rough baritone.

 

Another voice spoke “Lol bro, totally. He is fucking terrifying.”

 

A female voice, “He looks hot- like look at the muscles during gym- but the moment he looks at you dead on, it’s like you _know_ you are going to die brutally by his hands or something.” She shudders at the end.

 

Jungkook felt his eyes prick. However, he took a deep breath to calm himself from the hurt he felt at those words. _Is that how people see me?_  He looked down, letting his hair cover his eyes as usual and abruptly stood up to leave.

 

He turned to look to the side of the class where he heard the voices from and saw a girl and two other guys watching him in shock and fear. Before he could say anything, they rushed past him towards the hallway outside, murmuring quick and low apologies.

 

He sadly watched them leave before following the way out. _Maybe it’s just impossible for me to make friends. After all, someone needs to have some good characteristics to get some good friends. I- I am useless. My grades aren’t exceptional, and I’ve never joined any club._

As he walked out of the school building, he heard a huge commotion from the entrance of the school. Out of curiosity, he followed the moving crowd.

 

“OMG! Look, it’s the Elites of our school!” A few girls screamed in awe.

 

Jungkook had heard of them in the entrance ceremony. The Elites were the student council of the high school, and represented the entire student population. They were known to excel at basically everything. The transition from middle school to high school just made them all more famous. Apparently they all live together in a dorm and were the reason for this school’s popularity.

 

Despite knowing all this, he had never seen them during the six months he has been in high school. He once overheard that it because of their immense popularity from middle school that the applicants for joining the high school increased five times the usual amount. Jungkook was surprised his own application was accepted if that was the case.

 

Amongst the gushing crowd, he spotted the girl who was collecting the questionnaires from earlier in the morning. His hand involuntarily sought out the questionnaire from his own bag.

 

“Kim-ssi! I collected all the questionnaires from the second years.” The familiar voice called out. Jungkook clenched his fist around the pages in his hand, feeling a pang of sadness that she had conveniently forgotten his.

 

“Ah, thanks a lot, Park Soo-young-ssi!” Jungkook heard a surprisingly deep voice respond, and felt his breath hitch when he connected the voice to the boy who spoke. Kim Taehyung- the president of the student council- had soft platinum blonde hair and a bright boxy grin adorned his sun-kissed skin. His eyes twinkled with mirth and he appeared to be the epitome of perfection. He was undeniably handsome, and Jungkook suddenly felt unworthy to even be at his presence.

 

Suddenly a basketball flies towards Taehyung. Some of the students from the crowd tried to warn him, but by then, Taehyung had already taken action. His body shifted slightly as he held out a tilted hand, letting ball roll across his outstretched arms to his other hand. Taehyung grinned casually as he spun the basketball on one finger.

The crowd erupted with applause, and Jungkook couldn’t help but stare at the guy in amazement. He though these things only happened in movies, yet this guy had done it like it was no problem at all. The captain of the basketball team came forward and apologized profusely as he retrieved the ball. The school president seemed to take it in his stride.

 

“Tae-ah, your face is sweaty,” A soft and sensual voice called out.

 

All heads turned towards Park Jimin as he whipped out a handkerchief to wipe some ‘sweat’ off Taehyung’s brows.

 

Jimin grinned sexily and ran a hand through his own hair once he was done, receiving another boxy grin from Taehyung and loud squeals from the crowd.

 

Jungkook bit his lower lip as he looked at the remaining trio of the group. With his angular features and bright smile, Jung Hoseok took care to interact with some of the students, shooting finger hearts to those he couldn’t. He was known for his everlasting smile and cheery disposition, never failing to brighten up everyone’s day. Just behind him stood the power couple of the school- Kim Namjoon and Kim Seokjin.

 

Kim Namjoon was known for his intelligence and confidence. With an exceptionally high IQ, he had achieved top scores in many national exams. All of them hold the top scores in the school, but Kim Namjoon was something special.  Kim Seokjin was an internationally famous model, with his wide shoulders and manly appearance being his main charm. He held himself with an unidentifiable grace, and looked amazing wearing anything.

 

Jimin was the one to catch Jungkook’s gaze, despite there being a huge crowd circling around them. He tilted his head and winked, causing Jungkook to freeze in shock as the crowd cheered loudly in appreciation.

 

 _So amazing. So bright._ Jungkook shuddered in appreciation as he swept his gaze through them one last time. _Like angels._

 

He sighed, looking back at the questionnaire at his hands. _They probably lived the ideal high school life. They seem like good people, having each other as friends, good at practically everything. Who wouldn’t want to be friends with them? The are perfect. Who would want to be friends with someone like me?_

His trail of thought was broken when his mind recognized the piece of paper he was staring at. The Questionnaire! His eyes widened and he face palmed at his idiocy. Today was the deadline for submission, and Jungkook had spent two hours to complete it. The least he could do was submit the damn paper on time.

 

He took a deep breath to mentally prepare himself. Squaring his shoulders, he confidently walked towards Kim Taehyung as close as he could, slipping the questionnaire into Taehyung’s bag. As he rushed away, he started scolding himself _If you hadn’t backed out in the last second, you could have given the paper by hand and maybe even started a conversation with him Instead, you probably look like a creep now._

 

* * *

 

 

Kim Taehyung was startled out of his conversation with Jimin when he felt something nudge his bag. He turned around quickly, catching a glimpse of large black doe-like eyes before the boy walked away.  

  

He stared at the leaving figure before looking through his bag. His fingers pulled out a few sheets of paper that seemed to have been carelessly shoved inside. ‘Jeon Jungkook’ was written in a choppy script.  

 

Eyes frowning in curiosity, he looked at the pages and then back at the now empty gates.

 

Hoseok called out to him, but was duly ignored. Instead, Taehyung bit his lower lip absentmindedly as he wondered, “Who was that?”

 

* * *

 

On the way to his apartment, Jungkook mentally cursed his luck when he overhears a bunch of kids playing at the park beside his apartment complex.

 

“It’s a black cat! I heard looking at it gives you bad luck”

 

“Oh no! Hyung, we gotta get out of here~ please, let’s just leave”

 

“Yah, hang on a second.”

 

Jungkook turned to look, and was shocked when he realized what was going on.

 

“We’ve each only got one good shot with these rocks- then the black cat is history”

 

His feet took him there before he even realized it. He stood in front of the cat like a protective wall, taking the hit from the stones. One hit him squarely on his shoulder while the other only grazed his cheek. He held the cat in a protective cradle and braced himself for more attacks.

 

“Wh-What’s the big deal man? Why’d ya get in the way?” The older of the two boys yelled in annoyance.

 

Jungkook was relieved they had stopped. The younger boy tugged at the other’s sleeve. “H-hyungie, he looks like those high s-school del-delinquents. L-l-let’s just leave.”

 

Jungkook straightened himself as glared at the two boys. “What the hell do _you_ think you are doing?” He asked threateningly.

 

Both boys shivered in fear, taking slow steps backwards before breaking out in a run at the opposite direction.

 

Jungkook watched them go sadly before bringing the cat up to his face. “A cute little cat like you isn’t going to bring anyone bad luck. Aw~” He cooed, gently rubbing his nose against the cat’s pink one.  

 

He gently placed the cat on the ground and started walking away, but the cat began to meow loudly behind him. He turned around to crouch in front of the cat again, petting it softly. It was only then he realized that the cat was limping slightly.

 

A worried frown overtook his face. “You’re injured, huh. Wanna come with me?”

  

He lifted the cat and walked towards the apartment. He flinched when the cat began to scratch his hands, worried that he might have accidentally injured the cat or something. When he recognized the cat’s growing apprehension for what it was, he just grinned- the first smile he had shared with another living being in weeks.

 

He recognized the cat’s attitude for what it was- an act of self-defense. It reminded him of the past when watching kids his age stay away from him hurt a lot, that he started to wear tougher clothes to make sure people had a reason to stay away. It was a subconscious act of self-defense, one that he tried to immediately stop when he realized it. Now, years of watching people fear him, he likes to think he is used to it and it doesn’t probably hurt at much. He just has to deal with the occasional spikes of loneliness.   

 

He hushed the cat and ran his fingers behind the cat’s ears until it began to purr. He entered his room in the building, quickly turning on the lights and plopping down in the couch.

 

Hours were spent at the couch reading manga and playing Overwatch with the pet cat. Jungkook had long since lost track of time, not remembering the last time he had this much fun with company.

 

**_Ding Dong_ **

 

Jungkook skipped towards the door, convinced no annoying salesman could ruin his day. So it was to his utter shock to see the landlord and a middle aged woman standing behind the door.

 

“Excuse me, are you Jeon Jungkook?” The landlord asked

 

Jungkook only nodded mutely in response.

 

“Ok, This woman also lives in this apartment complex, and she said you were bullying a kid and being a menace in this neighborhood”

 

“B-But I didn’t do anything,” Jungkook gasped out in denial.

 

The woman suddenly tensed, “Don’t you dare play dumb here, you brat! You threw a rock at MY SON!” She yelled. Behind her skirt, Jungkook noticed a small boy poking his head out and it suddenly clicked. It was the same boy that was trying to throw the rock at the cat.

 

The boy smirked when he noticed Jungkook’s gaze at him and stuck his tongue out. Jungkook gaped, “When did- I didn’t do that!”

 

“Are you calling my boy a liar?” The mother bellowed in annoyance. She then turned towards the landlord, “Sir, I do not feel safe if there is a hooligan like him living in this apartment. Just look at him, he looks like a drug dealer- or a gangster at any rate. I've seen him wandering around alot when its dark too.”

 

The landlord bowed his head slightly in apology, “Ma’am I’m sorry if this young man caused too much trouble. But, for a young man- high school student- to be living on his own, misbehavior should have been expected.”

 

Jungkook felt his heart sink.

 

“I apologies, young man, but I’m afraid you are no longer welcomed to live here. I’ll have to ask you to leave.”

 

* * *

 

 

 _What do I do now? I don’t have any relatives living in Seoul, and I can’t tell my mom about something like this_ Jungkook sighed in despair as some depressing thoughts whirled around his head. It had started raining a few moments ago, and Jungkook’s feet had led him towards the playground he had met the black cat in.   

 

Jungkook thought back to the day before he left America on his own, scared but determined. He recalled on how much his mother worried. His mother was, honestly, the only one who had supported him through his friendless life. His father was out overseas often, so they had never really managed to build a strong connection as the one Jungkook shared with his mother.

 

Back then he had reassured his mother, naively believing that entering high school will be the solution to his problems.

 

 _*_ **_Flashback_ ** _*_

_“Jungkookie, are you sure you can take care of yourself? Remember, Busan is only a few hours away from Seoul. So if you ever feel lonely, you can go visit your grandparents. Or just call me and I’ll drop everything to come back Korea” His mother fretted._

_Jungkook pouted childishly, “Eomma~” he whined, “I can take care of myself. Just go to dad, I’ll be fine.” Softening his tone then, he continued, “Now that I’ll be in high school, I’ll be surely able to make some… you know… friends and stuff…” he trailed off._

_His mother smiled encouragingly, “Of course, you’ll be fine. There are people out there who will accept you for who you are. And, one day, you’ll definitely find them. I have faith in you.”_

_Hearing that made his chest felt warm, and he promised himself to try his best. For both his mother’s sake and his own._

_*_ **_End Flashback_ ** _*_

 

Jungkook winced when he recalled that moment, sitting down on a bench despite the outpour. The cat was mewling beside Jungkook’s belongings, taking cover from the rain unlike Jungkook. Jungkook brought his legs up on the seat and curled up on himself.

 

Tears started stinging his eyes when it finally dawned to him. He was all _alone_. No one would be here to help him. He didn’t want to be burdening his mother by calling her only a few months after he left. He had no one to rely on.

 

Before he knew it, the tears slipped down his cheeks. He began shivering as the wetness soaked to his skin and light sniffles were drowned by the noise of the rain.

 

“Jeon Jungkook?” A familiar deep voice called out.

 

Jungkook startled, looking up to see the familiar face of Kim Taehyung. The rain drops mixed with his tears, and the shock was evident in his soft features.

 

Taehyung gazed at him in concern, holding out his umbrella to shield Jungkook from the rain.

 

Jungkook felt spots dancing in his vision the longer he stared at Kim Taehyung. He feebly frowned in curiosity as he watched Taehyung’s lips move to speak, but his exhausted mind could not comprehend the words. _Am I dreaming?_

 

Taehyung’s concerned face was the last thing he saw before darkness over took him.

 

His last thought was- _Is it an angel?_   

 


	2. Chapter 2

“Maybe we should call a doctor?” A deep but gentle voice asked.

 

“Nah, we should just wait. He’s probably fine.” Another voice said in a light and reassuring tone.

 

Jungkook groaned at the disturbance, blearily opening his eyes. He tried to blink away the fog inside his head, to some success.

 

“Hey, you’re awake!” A new but familiar deep voice exclaimed in excitement. _Taehyung._

 

Jungkook stared at the crowd around him for a while longer, before he could finally make out who they were. He stiffened. _T-t-the ELITES!_ His eyes widened and he tried to back away from their heavy gazes. His back met a cool wall instead.

 

Suddenly, Taehyung broke out into a wide boxy grin, “Wow, what a relief. You’re alright Jungkookie!” He cheered and grabbed the man beside him- which happened to be Jimin- into a hug.

 

Park Jimin grinned teasingly, reaching out to ruffle Taehyung’s hair. “Yah, Tae-ah, I told you we shouldn’t jump to conclusions. I’m sure he’s alright, he doesn’t need your worrying to make things harder.”

 

Taehyung pouted adorably and narrowed his eyes, “I was worried~”

 

Loud laughter began beside him, and he turned to face the person who was laughing- Jung Hoseok. Hoseok smiled widely when he noticed Jungkook’s stare and asked, “How do you feel? Sorry about your clothes, they were soaking wet and we didn’t want you to get a fever. We had to change you into some dry clothes. That’s Jin-hyungie’s sweater and Tae-ah’s jeans. I hope you don’t mind.”

 

He could feel his head spin at the barrage of words, so he looked down, just registering how the sweater was too large on the shoulders and hung on him loosely, while the jeans were more of a tight fit on his thighs. Before Jungkook could gather enough wit to reply, Kim Seokjin materialized from thin air. He offered a plate with a plate full of cookies and chocolates to Jungkook, “Here, for you. Do you want some tea of coffee with those? I can prepare some immediately.”

 

Jungkook shook his head rapidly, but once the offer was made, more suddenly began. “Do you want some Hot Choco?” Taehyung asked while thrusting a heated cup right under his nose. Jimin’s hot breath in his ear distracted him, “Or maybe you want a massage. You look like you could use one, babe.”

 

Jungkook’s cheeks heat up, and he felt extremely grateful when Taehyung had playfully shoved Jimin away.  His mind felt like it had exploded, _Angels… I am surrounded by angels…_

Kim Namjoon, the only person who had yet to speak, noticed his confusion and smiled. It was his famous dimpled smile, and Jungkook couldn’t help but melt at the sight. It was calm and reassuring all at once. “Are you alright?”

 

Jungkook felt his cheeks heat up as Namjoon’s question attracted everyone’s attention towards him again. “Yeah…Um…”

 

“Hmm?” Seokjin prompted, a gentle smile on his face.

 

“Uh- Am I in heaven?” Jungkook’s poor mind could not comprehend any of the things going on around him. Why where they around him? Why are they helping him? Why do they shine like angels? These questions whirred around his head. Nothing made sense…

 

“Aigoo~” Seokjin squealed, “Joonie, can we keep him?”

 

“Jinnie…” Namjoon warned, but the laughing glint in his eyes showed he did not mean it badly.

 

Taehyung leapt up from his crouched position beside him and grabbed onto Jungkook’s arm. “Oohh, I’ll explain.” With his other hand, he waved around the room they were in with flourish. “This is our dorms! It’s nothing much- it’s like any other dorm rooms- but since we are in the student council, the school made some exceptions for us.”

 

Taehyung spoke dismissively, but Jungkook couldn’t help but stare at the large flat screen TV connected with the gaming consoles at the common room. The luxurious items in the room obviously indicated that it was far from an ordinary dorm.

                                                                                                                          

Suddenly Taehyung paused, and turned around to face Jungkook. His hold on Jungkook was the only reason Jungkook didn’t end up crashing against Taehyung. Jungkook stared at Taehyung in confusion and he smiles again in reassurance. “By the way, I forgot to introduce myself, didn’t I? I’m Kim Taehyung, the student council president of this school.”

 

“Park Jimin, Vice President.” Jimin winked, “As your hyung, I will make sure to take care of you every day.”

 

“Jung Hoseok, Treasurer.”

 

“Kim Namjoon, Secretary”

 

“Kim Seokjin, the other Treasurer. Call me Jin-hyung though.”

 

Jungkook nodded and bit his lower lip to stop himself from informing them that he had already known of them. He bowed low, “I’m Jeon Jungkook. I’m sorry for making you guys worry, but I should be leaving-”

 

Taehyung smiled and interrupted, “We know. Anyways, you know, we have a spare bedroom here. You should live with us- at least until you find yourself another place to stay.”

 

“I-I- huh?” Jungkook could only question unintelligently. How did they know of his current living situation? _Taehyung found you in a random park with all your belonging beside you, how hard can it be to assume you have no place to live in._

 

Loud mewls distracted his thoughts and he whipped his head towards its direction. He gasped, “Geom-eun!” He rushed towards the said black cat, helping her up onto his arms and petting her soothingly.

 

“Awe Jungkookie~ You literally just called your cat black,” Taehyung cooed, seemingly excited by Jungkook’s obviously unoriginal name for his cat.

 

Jin smiled warmly, “Your cat can also stay in the dorms, so don’t worry.” He clapped his hands together, “Now, follow me. I’ll show you your new room”

 

Seokjin lead the way towards a medium sized bedroom, already cleaned out and personalized to yellow and ash colours. One side of the room was already filled with sports trinkets and clothes, while the other side was relatively empty except for Jungkook’s luggage.

 

Now, Jungkook wasn’t too keen on accepting some relative stranger’s offers to live with them, no matter how angelic they seem, out of politeness. However, he really needed a place to spend a few nights in, and they were in the same school as him. And he could not deny the excited look in Taehyung’s face was a plus.

 

“I told Namjoonie to clear up your half of the room for you, so I hope you like it. You’ll be sharing the room with Hoesok.” Jin gestured for Jungkook to enter the room. His cat hoped out of his arms and onto the empty queen sized bed on the far right corner of the room.

 

Jungkook nodded and while he began sorting out his possessions, Jin tried to shoo everyone away with the excuse of bed time.

 

Taehyung groaned and pouted, reaching out to hold Jungkook’s arm in a vice grip. Jungkook jolted at the touch, while Taehyung proceeded to show no respect for personal boundaries and nuzzled against Jungkook’s arm. “I’m not done talking with Jungkookie~” He whined.

 

Hoseok smiles good naturedly and held onto Junkook’s other arm, “But Tae, now it’s my turn to get to know Kookie~”

Jungkook just froze against the tugs his arms were receiving, and the warm bodies plastered to his sides. A warm feeling passes through him as he watches the other three enjoy the antics, not unkindly. Neither of the two boys seemed truly angry at each other, and it all seemed so _domestic_. Like he had found another home.

 

Unknowingly, tears began to form in his eyes, overflowing and spilling down his cheeks.

 

Everyone paused their antics at that. Hoseok just smiled warmly- knowingly- while Taehyung’s face filled with worry and confusion. “Jungkookie-ah? Are you alright?”

 

Jungkook quickly brought his hands up and quickly began to try wiping the tears and snot with his sweater paws. “I-Its nothing. Leave me alone”

 

Jimin smiled and dragged Taehyung out with a small good night aimed at Jungkook, while Jin spoke “If there is any problems, please don’t hesitate to bother us, darling. Oh and the common washrooms are right at the end of this hallway.”

 

Him and Namjoon left soon after, and Hoseok excused himself from the room, leaving Jungkook to his privacy. Jungkook sobbed quietly, curled up in the queen sized bed. His cat purred beside him, and Jungkook thanked all the deities up there to allow him to meet these warm people. After a year and half of living in pure solitude, and only having his mother’s comfort before that, all this kindness was unexpected.

 

He remembered his mother’s words of finding people who will understand him and felt happy all over again. _Mom… Maybe I found them_.

 

* * *

 

 _There must be something about me that is creepy. I_ ** _was_** _kicked out of my old house because of that. I can't believe I am allowed live here._ Jungkook thought as he idly brushed his teeth for the night. He had accidentally taken a nap after his tears dried up, only to end up waking half an hour later.

 

"JUNGKOOKIE-AH!!" A loud and deep voice exclaimed, causing Jungkook to jolt which led to his toothbrush accidentally stabbing the insides of his cheek harshly.

 

He winced, quickly spitting both the foam and the brush. His bangs fell on his eyes when he turned towards the direction of the voice. Taehyung entered the washroom with no qualms, but he seemed to freeze at the sight of him.

 

 _Shit. Shit. This is the part they tell me to leave. They'll get nervous around a creep like me, and I'll be kicked out agai-_ His trail of thought was abruptly broken when a rough hand softly began to caress his cheeks. This time, it was Jungkook who froze. "Hey, are you alright? I must have shocked you by yelling that loudly," Taehyung murmured soothingly, eyes locking deeply into Jungkook's. "Are you hurt somewhere?"

 

All his instincts urged him to run away. The close proximity was scary, especially with a man who was probably just acting out of kindness. Jungkook jumped out of Taehyung's soft touches and inched away from the man, quickly wiping his hands in a hand towel placed conveniently close.

 

“Y-y-yeah, thank you Kim-ssi. I-I’ll – uh- Bye” He quickly gasped out before moving to go pat Taehyung and out of the room.

 

“Wait!” Taehyung reached out and locked his arms around Jungkook’s chest, “Jungkookie, don’t go.”

 

Jungkook tensed at the hold, even more so when Taehyung proceeded to nuzzle into his shoulder. He was officially mentally freaking out.

 

Jungkook kept on staring at Taehyung’s blond hair as they bounced at every movement of the boy. Taehyung shyly looked up, a small blush noticeable in his skin. “Wh-What?” Jungkook barely managed to choke out a word.

 

“The others will hog you again, and it’s not fair. Because I- I want to get to know you better.” Taehyung whined softly, turning Jungkook around so that he could snuggle into Jungkook’s chest. Jungkook could feel his heart pounding harder at the action, and there was no doubt Taehyung could hear it too.

 

Jungkook felt like he was at his limit. His head felt like exploding and things were getting too out of hand for his brain to process what is going on. He struggled out of Taehyung’s strong hold, shoving the warm body away. “AH, Let me go!”

 

Taehyung’s grip loosened in surprise and Jungkook took the chance to escape out of the washroom. Taehyung cocked his head in confusion as he stared at Jungkook’s retreating back.

 

* * *

 

Jungkook walked towards his room in long strides. Mindful of the sleeping Hoesok at the other bed, he closed the door softly behind him. Now, outwardly, he still looked like the calm, collected and scary Jungkook- please ignore the light pink hue on his cheeks and nose- but inside his head, his thoughts were a mess.

 

_WHAT WAS THAT??!!_

_No way._

_That did **not** just happen to me. _

_Like OMFG, what was going on?_

_Calm down Jungkook, there must be a reasonable explanation for this._

_Who are you kidding? These kinds of things don’t happen to him._

_Probably it was a misunderstanding on Jungkook’s part. Maybe he was just assuming things that did not happen._ He took deep breaths, ignoring the niggling feeling at the back of his head that told him these kinds of things are not normally misunderstood.

 

He quickly slid under the duvet, still trying to calm his racing heart.

 

That night, sleep did not come to him easily.

 

* * *

_  
_

Unbeknownst to Jungkook, there was a camera at the corner of the bathroom that had already captured the incident on tape.  

 

A figure sat back on the chair and grinned, “Looks like we got all of it.”

 

Another figure came out, “Is that so? Good. Tomorrow should be fun.”

 

* * *

 

Jungkook stared in awe at the breakfast on the table. The others had already left by the time he woke up, but there was a sticky note on the door that told him they had prepared breakfast. A lunch box was also placed beside the breakfast. _I can’t believe… these people are so nice…_

Jungkook tried to savour the dish as much as he could, but he had to rush or else he would have become late for school. The cat meowed hungrily behind him and he apologetically gave him some packed leftovers he had brought from his old house. After all, he didn’t know if he had explicit permission to use any of their food, even if they were generous enough to let him stay the night.

 

It took a while to convince the cat into not following him to school, but he made it out with 15 minutes to spare. _I had such a weird dream last night,_ he giggled, a heavy blush spreading on his face and neck when he recalled the dream. Taehyung was trying to cuddle him in the bathroom. _Haha, as if that could ever happen in real life…._ He rubbed his palm all over his face in hopes to quell the growing blush.

 

He entered the school gates, not expecting much to happen during school hours.

 

“Excuse me, could you explain exactly WHAT is the meaning of THIS, Jungkook-ssi?!!” A girl shrilled out, marching up to stand in front of him. She held her phone out for him to see, while a crowd formed around the two.

 

He fidgeted at the attention, nervously biting his lower lip. When the girl in front of him waves the phone again, he takes it as a cue to watch what is happening at the screen.

 

He squints slightly and the girl holding the phone gulps in fear.

 

_“-nd it’s not fair. Because I- I want to get to know you better.” Taehyung whined softly, turning Jungkook around so that he could snuggle into Jungkook’s chest-_

Jungkook’s eyes widened as he watched the familiar scene from another view. _So it wasn’t a dream, huh._ He watched as the him on the screen pushed Taehyung away and leave the washroom briskly. It all felt surreal, yet this video was proof it actually happened.

 

 _Wa-wait… VIDEO!! What-_ His thoughts became a jumbled mess. Students crowded around him, loud and curious.

 

“Jungkook-ssi, the newspaper club would like to have a word with you-“

 

“How dare you push Taehyung-oppa away when all he wanted to do was get to know you-“

 

“Why him! Why not me-“

 

“How does it feel to live in a dorm with the five most famous boys in this whole country-“

 

“Jeon Jungkook-sii-“

 

Jungkook took one glace at the people storming towards him with barrages of question before deciding an appropriate way to deal with the situation.

 

He turned on his heel and ran.

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

After sixteen friendless years, Jeon Jungkook suddenly moved in with the Academy’s idols. This wouldn’t have been so bad, but somehow, someone made a video out of it. _This just sucks…_ Jungkook whimpered as another crowd of students walk past his hiding spot in search of him.

 

“Jungkook-ssi! Please let us interview you”

 

“Don’t you dare steal our dear Tae Tae!”

 

“What are you to him?”

 

“How’s it like to live in the same dorm as them?”

 

… Were some of the questions Jungkook had been bombarded with since the morning He already missed the first two classes, and yet he didn’t dare to step out of his hiding place.

_Why me?_ He curled up more to himself as two more passed him.

 

“Did you see Jeon anywhere?”

 

“No, I’m going to check the Bangtan Channel if they’ve got anything yet”

 

Jungkook’s eyes widened because _of course, the Bangtan Channel,_ the school’s own personal news channel. He almost whacked his own head at his stupidity, but opted to pull out his phone instead. He quickly typed in his personal user-id the school provided every student.

 

The first page itself shook him to the core. He stared at the screen in bafflement for it was filled with these mini recordings of the Elites _at their own home, doing menial tasks as if they didn’t know they were being recorded._ He paled as he kept on scrolling down, noticing the one of yesterday’s incident named ‘ _Bangtan Bomb: New Resident at the Dorm?!”_

 

No one could blame Jungkook for worrying- _Did the other five know about this? Someone must have placed hidden cameras inside the dorm._ Jungkook fretted naïvely. He went through some of the episodes, most of them containing cute moments among themselves, and even some creepy ones like Taehyung waking up from sleep, or Jimin comforting a tired Hoseok.

 

Chills crawled up his spine at every video he watched, making him feel like a creep for unintentionally invading their privacy. But with each video, the sinking feeling grew inside him. _I-I have to tell them. It’s the least I could do after they helped me out._

 

He stood up shakily, stumbling out of his hiding spot and began jogging around aimlessly. He slowly stopped into a halt at the commotion at the gym. _W… what’s going on in there?_

 

He glanced through the large gym doors, catching sight of Park Jimin. The two words that came to his head were ethereal and sexy. He moved with grace, every twist and turn done with practiced ease. He moved as if unaware of the crowd around him, lost in his own world. Jungkook just gaped openly at the beauty Park Jimin expressed.

 

By the time to song was done, the crowd had grown thrice as large. Gossip hung over the crowd as they praised Jimin, but Jungkook ignored them. He just continued staring at the now sweaty Park Jimin in awe. Jimin looked truly otherworldly with the sweat dripping down his sharp jaws and panting heavily.

 

It was Jimin who noticed Jungkook and snapped him out of his revere by calling out. “Jungkook?” Jimin questioned, lightly jogging towards him. The crowd parted like the red sea, but that didn’t stop the students from questioning.

 

“Jungkook? As in Jeon? The one from the video?”

 

“What is he doing?”

  
“He should stay away from Jimine-oppa”

 

“Yeah, he is already trying to steal Taehyungie-oppa from us, now he’s after Jimin-oppa too? Ugh, disgusting.”

 

He tensed at the loud whispers, heat rising to his cheeks at the attention he received from both Jimin’s inquisitive eyes and the pissed off crowd. Jungkook slowly backed out of the gymnasium, shaking his head frantically.

 

“uh-um, nothing Jimin-hyung. I-I-It’s uh- nothing. Never mind.” He stuttered out, bowing repeatedly in apology. Jeon Jungkook could not handle being the center of attention. So, it was only logical that he immediately flee from the scene. And that exactly what he did.

 

He ran right into the sight of a sleeping Hoseok. Letting out a sigh of relief, he carefully approached the sleeping man.

 

“Uh H-Hos-“  Just as he began, a hand snaked from behind him and covered his mouth. He tensed as a few more hands shoved him away. Turning around, he eyed the culprits warily.

 

“Do not disturb our Hope! He’s so bright and always helps everyone- oppa deserves some rest.”

 

“Ya, she’s right. Oppa needs to sleep. Don’t you dare disturb him.”

 

Jungkook gulped and nodded vigorously.  He bowed slightly at the girls as he slowly inched away before bolting. _Who knew fangirls were this scary._ He shuddered.

 

Locating Namjoon and Jin resulted in the same situation- with both of them surrounded and too busy for Jungkook to have the guts to approach them.

 

Jungkook warily slid down the wall, mentally exhausted. The newspaper club had still not stopped pestering him, and he didn’t manage to get time to warn any of the elites about the recordings.

 

Jungkook groaned loudly in frustration, running his hands through his hair and messing it up as he turned at the corner of the hallway. A flash of platinum blond caught his eye and he perked up. _Taehyung._ He sighed in relief, but before he could move, another voice spoke up.

 

“Taehyung-oppa, I really really like you!”

 

Jungkook stiffened and peaked out from the corner. _A-a-A CLASSIC SCHOOL CONFESSION!_ He gasped softly at the scene, biting his lower lip to contain his excitement. _I thought those things only happen in shoujo mangas, or romance novels in any case._

 

He watched as Taehyung sighed in what seemed like remorse, “I’m sorry, but like I’ve already told you- I can’t go out with you.”

 

Jungkook observed the sad rejection with a heavy heart, too caught up in the moment to care. Never had he stumbled upon any sort of confession scene, though the manga he referred to for an idealistic school life made it seem that these things were quite common.

 

“Why Oppa? Is my love not enough? I’ve confessed almost 50 times. I wait for you every day in front of your dorms, I’ve followed you wherever I can and I even memorized your daily schedule just to be able to talk to you every day. Why won’t you accept my love for you Oppa?”

 

Jungkook choked on thin air, eyes widening in shock. _Oh gods, is this how a confession is in real life. Scary._ Jungkook shuddered.

 

When he glanced back at Taehyung to gauge his reaction, he froze at the cold blank look Taehyung directed at the girl. It was over in a flash and Taehyung smiled as if nothing had happened. Jungkook tried to observe Taehyung for any telltale signs of anger, only to find none.

 

 _Wh- M-maybe I just imagined that part?… Uhm… Probably…_ Jungkook hesitantly dismissed.

 

“I’m really sorry, but-” Taehyung’s voice brought him out of his thoughts. Taehyung smiled apologetically, leaning in as if revealing a big secret. “I-I like Jungkookie”

 

 _h-HUH!!! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE!_ Jungkook’s eyes widened. _Did he just s-say MY name?!_

 

Taehyung just bowed once more in apology and walked away, leaving the stunned girl and even more shook Jungkook behind.

 

Distantly Jungkook registered loud hollers though out the school, all repeating the same thing. “BREAKING NEWS: TAEHYUNG LIKES JEON JUNGKOOK!!!”

 

* * *

 

 

Jungkook trudged up the stairs towards the dorms, physically and mentally exhausted. After the incident, word spread like wildfire and Jungkook had to face with hoards of student stampeding behind him all afternoon. He had more attention on him in a single day than he ever had in his life.

 

 _Fangirls are scary,_ Jungkook shuddered as he recalled the hate-filled glares of the girls aimed at him the whole day. _They aren’t scared of anything._

 

He used the key entrusted to him to enter the dorms, exhaustion leaking from every step he took. He staggered towards the couch, slumping against it. His eyes drooped, but before sleep could take over, loud mewls began right beside him.

 

“Geom-eun!” Jungkook grinned, bringing the cat up to his face, “You scared me~ How was your first day here? Must be nice to stay in the house the whole day.” Jungkook sighed, reminded of his exhaustion. He pouted, “You’re really lucky to be able to hide here. Some people found out I was staying here and everyone chased me around all day. Everyone kept on glaring at me, and once I even found all my notes for Chemistry class torn up. Thank god it was a new copy and I can still make out some things out of it-“

 

“Jungkookie-ah! You’re back!” A hyper voice called, and a body crashed into the couch with Jungkook in an attempt to hug him.

 

“T-Taehyung-Hyung!” Jungkook gasped in surprise, bringing the cat closer to his chest in a protective gesture. His mind replayed a scene he tried his best to forget about before returning at the dorms. _–Taehyung smiled apologetically, leaning in as if to reveal a secret. “I-I like Jungkookie.”_

 

Jungkook immediately burst into loud coughs, his face beet red in embarrassment.

 

“Omo, Kookie-yah. Are you okay? Do you have a fever or something.” Taehyung fretted.

 

“N-n-NO! Uh, sorry, I mean- I don’t have-“ Jungkook tripped over his own words.

 

Taehyung giggled cutely, reaching over to pinch his cheeks. “You’re so adorable Kookie-ah. You tell your hyung if something is bothering you, okay?”

 

Jungkook blushed darker, nodding hesitantly. “Yeah- Oh, yeah,” He stood up as he remembered something. Jungkook frowned worriedly as he requested, “Hyung? Could you call the other hyungs downstairs. I wanted to discuss something with you guys.”

 

Taehyung just hummed and nodded, getting up and leaving to call the others. One by one all of them trailed into the living room, all of them greeting Jungkook with the same warm eyes and bright smiles. The last one to come out was Hoseok, who came trailing behind Taehyung.

 

Jin took the initiative to ask, “Jungkook-ah? Do you need something?”

 

Jungkook fidgeted at the foreign feeling of having all the attention on him. But he knew he must do this- they were so nice to him, it’ll be his own way to repay them. He took a deep breath, “I- I think there might be hidden spy cameras in your dorm.”

 

The five boys stared at Jungkook in shock, giving Jungkook courage to continue. “R-Really! We need to find them and take them down and-”

 

A snort interrupted him, followed by huge peals of laughter. A few minutes of passed before Taehyung could calm his cackling, which was spent with Jungkook just staring awkwardly at him. Taehyung continued to giggle lightly as he stood up and casually slung his arm around Jungkook.

 

“Pft- Spy Cameras,” He leaned in to whisper, and suddenly Jungkook felt a cold chill crawl up his spine. Jungkook tilted his head to glance at Taehyung, only to be shocked at the cruel smile that graced his features. “Jungkookie-ah, do you think we are _stupid_?”  

 

“H-Huh?”

 

At Jungkook’s baffled expression, Taehyung clicked his tongue in annoyance. “How can one be so stupid?- We aren’t being spied on. In fact, we are all putting a show for them.”

 

Jimin placed a hand on Taehyung’s shoulder and gave Jungkook a soft smile. “Of course, it’s not like they see _everything_ we do. Namjoon-hyung and I personally handpick the best moments with the highest quality and edit them accordingly.”

 

Namjoon hummed in agreement from where he sat. “Yes, and I have to admit, what you did yesterday was perfect. The fans were bound to eat it all up.”

 

Hoseok groaned in exhaustion and slumped back to his seat, a smile no longer gracing his angular features. “The number of stalkers just kept on fucking increasing. It’s such a goddamn pain to keep on smiling. Thank God you’ve figured it out; I would have murdered someone if I had to keep on acting sweet even at our dorms.”

 

Taehyung noticed the blank gaze on Jungkook’s face and responded with a wicked grin of his own. “I had to drag the fan girls’ attention on someone else for a while,” Taehyung spoke nonchalantly, as if what he did wouldn’t affect Jungkook’s day to day life at all. “Who better than a boyfriend? This would get them riled up enough to leave me alone and focus on you.”

 

Jungkook took a step back at the drastic change in personalities. Doe-like eyes looked hesitantly at each of his new hyungs, and he chuckled awkwardly. “Uh- You’re all acting differently from at school. C-can you explain what’s g-going on?”

 

Hoseok sneered in annoyance, “What did you think? We were actually like that every day of our lives. Fuck- now that would’ve been living hell.”

 

Jin nodded, “Yeah, we are just embodying everyone’s ideals. We’re- like- celebrities of sorts, we have a lot of respect for having ‘perfect’ lives”

 

“And, now that all of us are in high school, we usually need more juicer content, if you understand what I mean.” Jimin sighed despondently; shoulders slumped as if they held a heavy burden.

 

Confusion swallowed Jungkook- his mind was already having a hard time processing the contrast in personalities, let alone the information the boys were throwing at him.

 

Taehyung could only try to hold his laughter at the obvious discomfort painted on Jungkook’s face. He stifled his giggles, “You, Jungkookie, are the lone wolf of our school. Right?”

 

Without waiting for Jungkook to respond, he continued. “Aaaanndd, what better story is there than the classic of the lone wolf- a misunderstood bad boy, to be more precise- of our school moves into the same dorm as the elites of the school and ends up as the president’s boyfriend.” A boxy grin brightened his face again, “That would make such a great story, won’t it Kookie-ah?”

 

Jungkook tried to back away from the piercing gaze of Kim Taehyung as the said boy invaded his personal space. “W-What? No-“

 

Taehyung clamped a hand over Jungkook’s mouth and tutted. “Jungkookie, I bet your parents would worry so much if their poor innocent son was homeless. They would drag you back with them if that happens, right?” He sighed and removed his hand from Jungkook’s mouth. He observed Jungkook’s flustered face with a cold smile.

 

“You don’t want to be a bad boy and make your parents worry, hm?” He taunted, “You have no choice but to stay here and listen to us.”

 

At that moment Jungkook realized something. _Taehyung was not an Angel- nope. He is the reincarnation of devil himself._

 

Tears stung his eyes, but Jungkook tried to hold strong. “I don’t care. I’ll move in with my parents again back at America.” He declared, pushing past Taehyung and back into his shared dorm room. As soon as the door closed, Jungkook slid down against the door and tried to block his ears with his hands. He could still feel the echo of the loud laughter of Hoseok mocking him for running back to his mother, and the jeers of Namjoon calling him lame in his head.

 

Worst of all, the cruel smile of Kim Taehyung would not leave his heart. With frustration evident in his features, he stood up and began to repack his belongings. _I have to leave. I can’t live with people like them..._

 

* * *

 

There were many flaws with leaving suddenly. First of all, he would have to call his mother to inform her of what had transpired- _and God only knows how much he didn’t want to worry her._ His family no longer lived in Korea, so he would still need a temporary lodging till he manages to get tickets to America.

 

 _When I thought I finally made friends,_ Jungkook sighed despondently, curled up in a familiar park bench. _Of course, someone like me could probably never have real friends. There is nothing to like about me anyways…_

 

A loud cough dragged his attention and he came face to face with the same girl who had shown him the video in the morning. Behind her stood three other girls and one boy, all of them bearing the same angry expression as the girl in front of them.

 

“You’re the one who seduced our Taehyung-oppa, aren’t you?” She demanded, “He’s such an angel- a cute child who needs to be protected at all costs. What right do you have to live in his place? He’s so…”

 

As the girl continued her long spiel, Jungkook could only stare blankly. The Kim Taehyung he saw a few moments ago was nowhere as princely or angelic as she made him out to be. Nowhere as kind as Jungkook thought he was. Even he was a fool to believe that angels actually existed as humans.

 

“Hey, uh- wait a moment,” Jungkook began, already making up his mind to inform them of Taehyung’s act. He stood up to continue, unknowingly towering over them with his fringe casting over his eyes. “Taehyung isn’t really-“

 

He was interrupted by loud screams of help from the girl in front of him.

 

Jungkook could only gape as she began to wail and tremble in fear, already reaching out his hand on her shoulder to calm her down. The action had the opposite effect and now the whole group started trembling in fear.

 

Before Jungkook could even say anything, the only boy in the group drew his fist back and threw a punch at his direction. Jungkook braced himself, moving his arms up in a defensive position.

 

Surprisingly, the force of the punch never managed to hit Jungkook. He blinked in confusion, lowering his arms to catch site of bright platinum blond hair. A very familiarly styled platinum blond hair at that.

 

Kim Taehyung stood calmly in front of Jungkook, smiling nonchalantly as if he wasn’t stopping the other guy’s fist in his palm. Taehyung sighed in disappointment, gaze aimed downwards and shoulders slumped in defeat. “You guys,” he began, slowly looking up to meet their gazes.

 

Tears were gathered in his eyes, his expression was one full of hurt. “That wasn’t a nice thing to do. _I know Jungkookie-ah can be such a delinquent_ most of the time, but I don’t want there to be fights between our school’s students. I mean- we’re all one big family, right? It’s just really sad to see us fighting pointlessly…”

 

Jungkook could only watch in amazement at the act. Even he felt some of the feelings put into that speech must have been true. As Taehyung continued to fret about Jungkook and softly scold the others, Jungkook frowned. _I guess, Taehyung’s not actually a cruel person…_

After a moment, the group bid their farewell to Taehyung and left in a happy chatter, not noticing the next words Taehyung growled out the moment they were out of sight. But Jungkook heard him clearly. “Goddammit. Those fucking idiots. If that had gone on of any longer, they’d be screwed.”

 

Jungkook blinked at the sudden shift and snorted. Taehyung suddenly jolted up to look at Jungkook again.

 

“And you…” he started, annoyance bleeding into his tone, “What kind of idiot are you? Why the hell did you just suddenly move out of the dorms over a small thing?”

 

He reached out and Jungkook flinched in fear of being hit. _Satan._

 

Taehyung pouted aggressively at Jungkook’s fear and reached out to pull his hand instead. He tugged the maknae into following him. “Come on already- Let’s go home. Others will worry if we’re too late.”

 

Jungkook panicked, “Wait- I thought I said I’m moving out?”

 

“I won’t allow it, it's your home too from now on.” Taehyung scoffed, "Come on!”

 

Jungkook bushed at the cool aura radiating off Kim Taehyung and ducked his head, “Yeah,” He whispered, “let’s head home, hyung…”

 

Taehyung glanced back at the boy behind him and grinned warmly. Jungkook bit his lower lip and blushed.

 

“Aaaand- CUT!”

 

Jungkook stiffened when he heard the familiar voice of Park Jimin. “Wait- Wha-?”

 

Jimin skipped towards them, a camera between his hands. “Omo~ Taehyungie-ah that was amazing~” He congratulated, “I’ll tell Joonie-hyung to edit out the unnecessary scenes, but it was Grade A footage. Jungkookie-ah, you did well too~ we’ll celebrate back at home, ‘kay?”

 

And just as suddenly as he arrived, with one final ruffling of both his dongsaeng’s hair, he bounded off towards the dorms in excitement.

 

Jungkook watched with wide eyes, realization about what had transpired dawning upon him. Taehyung smirked, laughter evident in his voice as he explained “My popularity will definitely increase more- ‘When extremist fans attack’ situation.”

 

Jungkook pursed his lips together, annoyance bubbling up at the fact that he fell for the same trick twice. “Jerk” He muttered under his breath.

 

Suddenly, Taehyung spun around and cornered Jungkook. He had a bright smile on his face, though his eyes remained expressionless and cold. “You’re coming home with me. You know what this means, right?"

 

“You better prepare yourself, Jungkookie~” He sang and grabbed Jungkook’s arm to drag him the rest of the way.

 

“Jungkook-ah, you’re back” noted Namjoon as soon as they entered the common room, giving Jungkook a knowing smile.

 

“Kookie-ah! Just in time for dinner” Jin cheered and proceeded to drag Jungkook away.

 

Jungkook sighed in resignation. He never felt so unprepared in his whole life _…_


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, so I did it. I halved the chapter, and changed it a bit. Like the main events is the same, except it's not that abrupt anymore? i guess.  
> Anyways, I was very dissatisfied with how it was before, so here ya go ^.^

_Rain poured down heavily on a crouched figure. With the cold seeping into his bones and loneliness into his heart, all he could do was curl up. The boy had almost lost all hope- his teeth were clattering loudly and his body had long begun shivering. He was left with no way to fend himself, and no one to help him. No one cared for that small boy crouched in the corner- they obviously had better things to do._

_That is, until it all just suddenly stopped. The harsh droplets, the busy sound of the streets, the cold that had long since frozen his body- they all just stopped._

_Cautious, the boy looked up and was graced by a presence that took his breath away. It was the most beautiful person he had ever laid his eyes upon- and he could only assume it was probably an angel. No human could ever look this ethereal, this graceful, and yet very warm.  With a bright and heart stopping smile, the angel grasped Jungkook’s hand to pull him up. “Come home, Kook-ah”  
_

 

_Warmth spread against his chest and he could only nod eagerly. He shakily stood up, giving a shy smile to the angel._

 

_Suddenly the flowers and the angelic glow began to distort, and so did the smile on the angel’s face. No longer was it welcoming or kind, but rather sinister and cruel. And suddenly, Jungkook recognized Taehyung. “You fell for that, didn’t you?” A long metal chain grew from his palm and wrapped around Jungkook’s neck-forever enslaving him._

_The chain pulled him closer to the man he once thought of as the angel, but turned out to be the devil. A low husky voice clicked his tongue in annoyance near his ear and whispered, “So foolish, aren’t you Jungkook-ah? Pathetic…”_

Jungkook woke up, gulping deep breaths of air to calm his erratic heartbeat. “It was just a dream…” He held his hand to his chest as he reassured himself. _But he knew that it was exactly what happened to him yesterday. A fate he could not avoid._

 

Before he could move even another muscle, a pillow slammed against his face. “Why don’t you fucking shut up for a while- and how long do you plan on sleeping?” Hoseok snapped at his roommate. He snorts when Jungkook continued to gaze at him stupidly- his sleepy mind not comprehending what Hoseok said.

 

“Slow and retarded. Great, what the hell was Tae thinking when he came up with this plan? Meet me downstairs after you’re ready.” Hoseok sighed, running a hand through his bright orange hair.

 

Jungkook only watched as Hoseok shook his head in disappointment and walked away. His head didn’t process the obvious insults aimed at him. The only thing he could realize was-   _Amazing, even this early morning, hyung looks so perfect._ From his perfectly styled, crisp hair to his cute sweater, he looked every bit of a happy go lucky sunshine he was supposed to be. _…But the look on his face was so harsh…._

 

Jungkook forced himself up and out of the bed. No matter how much he didn’t want to face his devil-like ‘boyfriend,’ not waking up wouldn’t mean that Taehyung would disappear from the world. His problems would still be there.  Plus he didn’t want to make the others late just because of his laziness.

 

In some twisted sense, Jungkook supposes at least he got some people he could _call_ his friends out of this ordeal with Taehyung.

 

Jungkook silently made his way downstairs, his cat now peacefully curled up on his shoulders. Not to his surprise, the rest of them were already awake and preparing for the day. A delicious and warm smell wafted from the dining room and he grinned. His stomach rumbled in want.

 

“Good morning Jungkookie-ah!” Jin cheered as soon as he saw the aforementioned boy. He was setting up the breakfast table, wearing a pink frilly apron over his plain yellow shirt. It was something Jungkook never imagined to be appealing on any man- but Seokjin indubitably looked stunning.

 

~~Loud thumps reverberated on the floor and Geom-eun jumped off Jungkook’s shoulders before the inevitable happened. _Is it really that difficult to rest peacefully on her owner-_ The cat huffed in annoyance and turned her back to the commotion around Jungkook. It was time for her to find a warm patch of carpet to nap on. What the humans were doing was not worth risking her beauty sleep.  
~~

 

“Kookie-ah!”  A heavy weight jumped on his back, and legs wrapped themselves around his waist. Jungkook gasped at the sudden weight on him, having the breath knocked out of him, and he struggled to remain balanced. Jimin poked his head out over his shoulder, giggling playfully. “Morning~”

 

Jungkook blushed when he realized that a very warm, _human,_ weight was on his back. He could not recall ever having such kind of skinship with anyone- _never._

 

Before Jungkook could respond with a greeting of his own- granted that it was taking him a while since he was not really used to the flirty sexy Jimin acting cute and cuddly- the weight on his back was removed and a force tugged him into another hard chest.

 

“Yah, Kookie-ah,” The familiar deep voice of Kim Taehyung drawled directly in his ear, and Jungkook flinching at the feeling. Shyly, he peaked at the boy behind him, tensing when he noticed the cool glare directed at him. “Why are you so late? Waiting for you isn’t the only thing I have to do here. Babo…”

 

Taehyung had the nerve to roll his eyes as if all his woes were Jungkook’s fault. Jungkook could only gape in indignance, watching as Taehyung walked around him and towards the dining table. Taehyung only turned his head back to Jungkook when he realized the boy was not following him, pointedly looking at the seat beside him.

 

Jungkook’s expression morphed into a mixture of a pout and a scowl, his nose scrunching slightly, as he followed Taehyung’s lead and sat beside him.

 

Before he could even blink, a pale hand reached out and squeezed his nose, an odd cooing sound coming from the owner of the said appendage. After a few seconds, he recognized the voice as Jimin, and his pout only grew. 

 

The hand retreated and Jimin giggled, resting his chin on his hands and fixing his unblinking stare at Jungkook. “Yah, Kookie-ah, you’re supposed to be scary for the camera. Why are you so adorable? ~”

 

Jungkook felt his face flush in embarrassment, and he immediately wiped the pout off his face, resorting to scowling at his half empty plate. Beside him, he could hear Taehyung scoff while Jimin burst into peals of laughter.

 

However it did not take him long to change that scowl into a soft smile as he watched them all interacting with each other, fully at ease. Namjoon was explaining something what he just read in the newspaper, passionate about whatever he was sharing. Jin just listened with a soft expression and an easy smile on his face, gently telling the other to slow down whenever the other got too excited.

 

Meanwhile, in front of him, Jimin was literally bouncing on his seat as he gushed about something or the other to Hoseok. Hoseok just nodded along, but Jungkook swears he could see a small smile creeping in Hoseok expression, in spite of the normally blank face the man wore. 

 

Jungkook couldn’t help but think that, _surely,_ all of the elites aren’t as bad as Jungkook made them out to be. _Maybe…_

 

Before Jungkook could say anything, Taehyung cleared his throat and called out from beside him. “Jiminie, calm down for a while- Everyone listen up-“

 

And to Jungkook’s mild surprise, all of them slowly stopped their own conversations and paid attention, despite Taehyung’s demanding and impolite tone. Knowing that Taehyung was one of the younger members of the Elites, if not the youngest, Jungkook couldn’t help summoning a grudging respect for the boy. After all, there must be something about him that makes him the leader of their little group.

 

Jungkook was so lost in in own world that he almost missed the next thing Taehyung said. “I expect all of you to rank at the top tens of our class this time as well-”

 

Jungkook choked on thin air at the thought, interrupting Taehyung. After murmuring a quick apology, he gestured for Taehyung to continue. _Man, they’re not called prodigies for nothing._

Taehyung rolled his eyes and continued briefing the others about the change in schedules for the time being, extra study sessions and the likes. Jungkook just stared at Taehyung, eyes brimming with curiosity and awe.

 

As if feeling Jungkook’s stare, Taehyung immediately turned to Jungkook as soon as he was done. “Kook-ah? What did you score on the midterms?”

 

Jungkook ducked his head as five pair of eyes turned to focus on him. “23rd place”

 

Taehyung raised his eyebrows in surprise, and Jin grinned, “That’s pretty cool, Jungkookie. 23rd place out of 57 students” 

 

“N-no ways! You guys are way more amazing.” Jungkook was quick to deny the praise. His eyes shone in genuine awe and he continued passionately. “Seriously, I’ll work harder to become more like you all-”

 

Before he knew it, a sharp pain exploded on his forehead and Jungkook yelped, “No ways Kooks, you need to get worse.”  Taehyung reprimanded.

 

Jungkook could only stare at him, honestly dumbfounded.  Taehyung could only sigh, “What I’m saying is- don’t study. Slack off for now.” He explained slowly, accentuating every word like one would do when speaking to a toddler.

 

Normally, one would readily take the opportunity to not study if they could. Taehyung knew that if he gave any of his friends that option, the only one protesting slightly would be Namjoon. Taehyung could expect that Jungkook would be like any ordinary student who detested studying. What he did not expect was for Jungkook to frown in innocent confusion- as if the mere idea of not studying was one he never thought of.

 

He blinked his large doe-like eyes and voiced his thoughts when he felt a few curious gazes on him. “Uh-m- Are you- Sorry- I mean, isn’t it our duty as Korean students to study for a brighter future for ourselves if not for the world. Eomma always said that studying is an opportunity one should never miss- there is always something new to learn at every corner.” Jungkook fidgeted slightly at the uncomfortable sensation of having everyone stare at him incredulously. He quickly bowed his head again, stuttering out a rushed appology. “I- I’m sorry”

 

A few beats of awkward silence passed before Namjoon chuckled, breaking the tension. “Not bad, kid.”

 

“Joonie-hyung!” Jimin gasped in mock indignance. His lips shaped in a O, combined with his un-styled fluffy hair, gave him an innocent and adorable aura. “Jungkookie! How could you betray your youth! ~ You’re going to become old and boring like Joonie-hyung if you keep this up. I refuse to let you stray down that path!”

 

“Yah Brat,” Namjoon scoffed, but no one could deny the smile of amusement slowly growing in his face. He turned to Jungkook, “Jimin’s just being a brat, ignore him. What you said is definitely true; and if you want some help in learning about anything, just come and ask me.” Namjoon encouraged, fully revealing his dimpled smile that caught the hearts of many at school.

 

Jungkook flushed and nodded, happiness blooming in his chest at the encouragement- and his heart acidentally skipping a beat or two because of that smile. The warmth just grew when Jin called out his attention and proceeded to crack one of the lamest jokes he had ever heard. Even if it wasn’t funny, the way Jin just began laughing after recounting the joke- open and unrestrained, a windshield laugh- accentuated with the uncontrollable laughter of Jimin was enough to make him laugh too. He had never seen this inelegant and uncontrolled side of Jin, but the man still managed to look enchanting.

 

With the previous topic of flunking in the exams was dropped, Jungkook was so preoccupied by the feeling of warmth Jimin, Jin and Namjoon brought him that he didn’t notice the annoyed yet cold look lurking in the darkness of Taehyung’s eyes even as his signature smile was set in place. Nor did he realize Hoseok never uttered a word throughout breakfast, and was instead observing Jungkook with a scowl.

 

Jimin was in the middle of recounting one of the many incidents involving Namjoon’s clumsiness when Hoseok finally had enough. He scoffed, “Really, Jungkook, you are nothing like you look. Aren’t you supposed to be a gangster who flunks classes? Tae-Tae-ah, I don’t even see the point of you forcing yourself to date this guy. He's not really what we were looking for, and he obvously can't act save his life- what's the point?”

 

Jungkook’s eyes widened at the rude tone used by Hoseok, and even more so when Taehyung’s smile turned sinister. The table was oddly quiet, and a quick glance told him that the others had turned to eat again, ignoring the spectacle.

 

Taehyung waved a hand to dismiss Hoseok’s worries and focused his gaze purely on Jungkook. Jungkook gulped.

 

Without any warning, Taehyung hooked his finger in Jungkook’s shirt, twisting it within the fabric and using it to pull Jungkook closer.  “Hobi is right, you know. Jungkookie-ah. Learn your place.” His smile was cold, none of the happiness that one would associate with a smile was present. “The only reason you are living in this house is because you’re a **bad boy** who is pretending to go out with me. So, you better act like one and fail some tests.”

 

Jungkook squirmed under the hold uncomfortably before giving in and nodding did Taehyung let him go. It was almost scary how he proceeded to calmly eat his food while smiling- as if nothing happened. When the others returned to their lively selves once again, it was almost like the incident never took place. Jungkook could only shudder- it was creepy.

 

* * *

 

 

“Omo, it seems like the rumors are true.”

 

“Taehyung-oppa actually looks really happy.”

 

“I wonder how Taehyung-oppa manages to get a good night’s rest with a gangster living in the dorms…”

 

“Taehyung-oppa is so brave~”

 

“I wish I was the one beside Taehyung-oppa right now~”

 

-Were some of the squeals and whispers Jungkook could make out as he walked beside his cheerful fake-boyfriend. Taehyung grinned at the sight of a fidgeting Jungkook and reached out to grab his hand, folding their fingers together. He softly held the hand, squeezing it and swinging it as they walked. Jungkook snorted, Kim Taehyun was being too obvious in his act this time, but it did the trick. They were the center of attention in the school corridor.

 

Jungkook sighed, trying to will down the furious blush on his cheeks. _This is so goddamn embarrassing._

The sight of his classroom doors never brought Jungkook as much pleasure as it did this very day. He quickly shook off Taehyung’s hold, responding to Taehyung’s loud goodbye with a mere- “Later.” Taehyung nodded back and turned to walk away.

 

“Jeon Jungkook!” Taehyung uttered suddenly from behing him. Jungkook tilted his head to face Taehyung again, frowning in confusion when he noted Taehyung smiling softly. He blinked- idly noting that the smile was nothing like the usual boxy grin- and waited for Taehyung to continue. “Kookie-ah. Let’s study together later, we'll work together to bring your grades up. I’ll be waiting for you at the library.”

 

Jungkook took a deep breath and nodded, ignoring the growing blush on his cheeks. Taehyung grinned back, _and yes, the boxy grin was back_ , sparing only a last glance before he turned around and left. Jungkook could only stare dazedly at Taehyung’s retreating figure, heart bursting with warmth and emotions. A soft smile adorned his own face when he finally entered the classroom- and even when he sat down on a seat.

 

_Eomma, it really feels like I’m making friends here- this is the first time someone invited me anywhere on their own free will._

_And- embarrassingly enough- when Taehyung called out his full name, in that deep voice- goddamn,_ Jungkook blushed hard, too embarrassed to admit it even in his own mind. He bit his lower lip and tried to hold in a giggle. _He must have been joking earlier this morning._ He illogically reasoned.

 

No matter how hard he tried, he could not concentrate on the next few lessons- mind too busy conjuring up ideas on how an actual study session goes. As odd of a thing it is to get excited for- it’s something he had never gotten to experience before. So, no matter how hard he tried, he could not stop the giddiness in his chest and excitement from shining through his eyes.

 

_I can’t wait!_

 

* * *

 

“Look! It’s Taehyung-oppa! Tae-oppa and Jungkook-ssi are having a study date together.”

 

“Aigoo, they look so cute together~”

 

“Yah, Jungkook-ssi is so lucky~”

 

Jungkook shifted awkwardly in his seat, all too aware of the attention they were drawing. Taehyung cleared his throat, drawing Jungkook’s attention back to him. He aimed a bright smile at Jungkook’s direction, eyes nearly disappearing with the force of his smile. “Kookie-ah? Where should we start?”

 

“M- Maths”

 

Taehyung nodded patiently, taking out all the relevant course materials. Jungkook could just watch shyly before turning back to his own work. A few moments passed in soft silence, with only the chirping noises of birds in the background. Golden rays of the sun shining upon the two boys, making both boys look almost ethereal.

 

“That one’s wrong, you know” Taehyung gently spoke, reaching out to correct a small calculation mistake. Jungkook tilted his head and nodded his thanks, before trying to continue his work. _Trying._

 

Jungkook didn’t realize when Taehyung got this close to him, but before he knew it, their shoulders and legs were brushing with every movement. It was distracting in ways Jungkook could not understand. He turned to Taehyung in hopes to ask him to shift away, but felt his breath get caught in his throat at the sight of the boy.

 

Golden skin that shone under the rays of light, perfectly trimmed eyebrows that were only slightly furrowed in concentration, long fingers and a princely stature- Kim Taehyung, in appearance, truly looked beautiful. Especially when those dark and depthless eyes were focused on you…

 

Jungkook’s eyes widened and he blushed in embarrassment of being caught staring. Remembering once again how close they sat, Jungkook awkwardly attempted to shift away, but before he could even shift an inch, Taehyung moved.

 

Jungkook almost sighed in relief- almost- until he realized that Kim Taehyung was not moving _away,_ but actually, was moving _closer_ to where Jungkook sat. Taehyung reached out to his bag beside Jungkook, knees casually resting on Jungkook’s lap and chest close to Jungkook’s face. Jungkook felt faint- and breathing in Taehyung’s musky scent was not helping one bit.

 

Jungkook’s face turned flush red, and all he could do was close his eyes and pray to gods that this will end soon.  

 

After a moment, heavens finally decided to have mercy on the poor boy and Taehyung huffed and sat back to his seat. Jungkook shot him a curious glance, still trying to tame the insane heat on his cheeks.

 

“I forgot to bring some notes and other resources,” Taehyung explained, “I practically don’t have anything to do now.”

 

Jungkook nodded in understanding, even though his mind had yet to process what Taehyung was saying- still stuck at the incident that occurred earlier. Taehyung grinned, “Ok, Jungkookie, since you still have work to do, I’m gonna relax for a bit~”

 

Jungkook merely nodded again in a daze, and Taehyung’s smile turned a fraction more evil. “Thanks Kookie-ah!~”

 

Without further ado, he plopped back on his seat beside Jungkook and shifted closer to lay his head on Jungkook’s shoulder. Jungkook stiffened, mind suddenly brought back to the present.

 

“W-w-what are you doing, hyung?” 

 

“Relaxing. Now hush and finish your work, we’ll leave when you’re done.”

 

“W-wha-“ Jungkook was at a loss of words, muttering unintelligible protests. His face was burning and all he could do was fidget in his seat. All of his earlier concentration was lost with the feeling of Taehyung’s breath puffing over his ear. He closed his eyes due to sensory overload.

 

Taehyung held a pen in his hand and began to seemingly doodle idly on a page in front of him, head still resting on Jungkook’s shoulder. After a while, he stopped and whispered directly into Jungkook’s ears. “Look at the paper.”

 

Jungkook shuddered at the warm breath ghosting over his ears, but obeyed the order and looked down. There, in capital words, was written, ‘Quit being awkward idiot (-_-)’

 

Jungkook gaped, the heavy blush on his face finally receding, while Taehyung just sat up properly. He turned to face Jungkook with cold eyes and a satisfied smile on his face. Jungkook’s eyes widened, and once again, humiliation spread throughout him for being played with. He immediately got up, his brain screaming at him to evacuate the situation. He made a big enough fool out of himself already.

 

A large hand grabbed onto his bony wrist, stopping him. “Kook-ah, where are you going? You’re not done yet.” Taehyung had the audacity of pretending to be innocent and confused. Jungkook tried to twist his hand out of the surprisingly tight hold, glaring at Taehyung as he replied “Don’t feel like doing it, ‘kay?”

 

With his dark glare in place and a scowl eched on his face, Jeon Jungkook looked every bit of the scary man everyone saw him to be. And judging by the loud gasps echoing around the library, and the fangirls praying for Taehyung's sake, everyone thought so too. Taehyung couldn't help but feel smug- Jungkook had beautifully fallen into his trap. It was now time for the finishing act.

 

Taehyung sighed and released his grip on the wrist, opting to hold his hand with both of his own. He kept a serious expression, one almost akin to pity, as he threw the boy’s earlier words back at him.

 

“Kookie-ah, as students, it’s our right to study for a better future for ourselves, if not for a better world. Learning something is an opportunity one should never miss- Kooks, there is always something new at every corner. Please Jungkook, don’t give up just because it’s hard, 'kay?” Taehyung finished with a soft tone, bringing Jungkook's hand closer to his lips. "I'll always support you..."

 

Somewhere behind them, the crowd of fangirls buzzed in excitement- praising Taehyung for being so hardworking and patient with his scary boyfriend. Not that Jungkook noticed- he could only stare in disbelief as Taehyung spewed out another lie so effortlessly.

 

_Bloody hell..._


	5. Chapter 5

Jungkook was living in hell. There was no other explanation to all the shit happening to him. The cause of his misery, you ask?

 

_Kim Bleeping Taehyung_

 

Throughout the whole week, Taehyung refused to leave Jungkook side. Where one was, you’d find the other hanging around nearby.  No matter how much he tried to escape, Taehyung always managed to locate and further embarrass him. Really Jungkook doesn’t know for how much longer he could stand this constant harassment. 

 

The Korean education system, as you all may know, is extremely competitive- and while Jungkook wants no part in this constant struggle, he knew his eomma would drag him back to her if his grades were at risk. And _that_ is something he really doesn’t want.

 

But Taehyung never seemed to get it. The week was wasted with various failed attempts- ranging from locking himself in his and Hoseok’s room, for which Taehyung apparently had a master key to, to hiding out in the bathroom, to which Taehyung followed inside mere seconds after him with the excuse of wanting to bath together. He was not given a single moment of rest.  

 

Even now, Jungkook blushes at the memory of the bathroom incident. He totally hadn’t expected the half-naked ~~beautiful~~ man to enter without any shame. If he hadn’t immediately escaped with an embarrassing squeak and a rushed excuse, lord only knows what he would have done.

 

He had spent hours after that incident ranting to Geom-eun about the heartless person that is Kim Taehyung. Jimin had caught him whining about how unfair it all seemed, and just giggled before excusing it as “It must be from all that stress of keeping up a good boy façade. It’s nice to see TaeTae having fun”

 

Honestly, that week had been very no fun.

 

So it had been quite a surprise when Taehyung suddenly called Jungkook out from where he had decided to sulk for the day to the living room where the rest of them were gathered reading. Taking a quick glance at the calendar told Jungkook that the exams were tomorrow, and Jungkook just hoped Taehyung would mercifully let him study for the day so that he doesn’t completely fail on the exams.

 

That foolish hope only grew when Taehyung dragged him towards the others, forcing him to stand beside Taehyung while he fumbled around with his bag.

 

“Wait- Are you actually going to let me study?” Jungkook couldn’t help his hopeful tone- maybe he wouldn’t fail too miserably in these finals.

 

Taehyung side eyed him and snorted before wrapping an arm around Jungkook’s shoulders and his other on Jungkook’s waist, dumping the bag down without care. Gently he pushed Jungkook down with his body, making Jungkook brace against the table. He coolly spoke into Jungkook’s ear, making the younger boy shudder at the feeling. “Sweet little Jungkookie. Do you really think I’d do that?”

 

Taehyung giggled as Jungkook glared, but before the younger boy could as so much as move, Jungkook felt cool metal rest on his wrist as something clicked onto place.

 

“ _Kim Taehyung…_ What did you just do…?” Jungkook gasped as he pushed the man away, before realized that one of his arms were handcuffed with the leg of the table

 

Taehyung just grinned brightly as horror began to spread on Jungkook’s face. Humming tunelessly, Taehyung reached for his bag once more and pulled out a game console before tossing it towards the boy. “The cuffs are not coming off till you reach the end of the game~ and don’t think you can just close the game, I’ll be keeping my eyes on you. Good luck~ Fighting, Jungkookie-ah!” and with that, he pushed Jungkook to sit on the floor before prancing around him towards where the rest of them were huddled comfortably on the floor.

 

 _You…  Monster!_ Jungkook could only stare- horrified by the metal cuffs binding his hand with the chair. The console lay innocently atop his hands, headphones wrapped neatly around it. Normally Jungkook wouldn’t hesitate to jump in at the opportunity to play, but the finals were literally tomorrow and really _why was Taehyung torturing him like this_ … Jungkook has no idea about anything that could possibly come in the exam. So to say Jungkook was already so tensed was a huge understatement.

 

He groaned, before sighing as frustration welled up inside him. Really, what else was he supposed to do- he had never felt this much stress in his whole life. As a student who actually cared about his studies, this entire ordeal was overwhelming.

 

Hesitantly, he glanced over where other boys were studying in- watching in bitter awe as the others talked and discussed about various things as they studied. _I want to be a part of that- with them._  

 

 _The atmosphere was really peaceful,_ Jungkook continued to stare enviously at the others from his limited view. His thoughts screeched to a halt when Taehyung suddenly turned to glare at him, indicating for him to start playing already.

 

A Bully. That’s what Kim Taehyung was. Not a sweetheart or a prince, but rather the most heartless devil to ever exist.

 

Jungkook pouted sulkily and spent another moment admiring the companionship they all shared with each other as they discussed. _It was really-_

 

Taehyung suddenly stood up from his seat and grabbed Jimin by his shirt, yelling at the startled boy to stop sleeping and start paying attention. Namjoon, who sat beside Taehyung, began to lecture Jin about the importance of English as an international language and how he had to dedicate more effort in it. Before his very eyes, the beautiful image he was starting to paint shattered as the noise grew louder. He could only stare blankly as the boys revealed their true rowdy selves.

 

Jungkook would have said he stared because he didn't expect what had happened, but who was he kidding. The boys he thought as perfect and angelic were in reality, perfectly normal rowdy bunch of boys who had their own quirks. Watching Jin test out a joke in English after Namjoon’s lecture, resulting in Jimin falling into peals of laughter was an easy testimony of that. Still, their friendship was obvious, and Jungkook could easily admire that.

 

He didn’t know how many hours flew by just watching them and, sometimes, playing the game. When Hoseok stood up laughing and dragged Jimin away with him, promising to go over Taehyung’s notes, Jungkook knew a few solid hours had passed.

 

Soon enough, both Taehyung and Namjoon had also retired to their rooms, leaving only Jin and Jungkook in the living room.

 

Jungkook didn’t mind the peaceful silence, but Taehyung had forgotten to unlock the cuff before going to sleep, and now Jungkook was certain he wouldn’t be able to do anything for the exams. He sighed and continued to play- because well, it was the least he could do before his funeral.

 

Jungkook was so lost in his thoughts that he hadn’t noticed Jin’s approaching figure until he sat down beside him.

 

“Jungkookie-ah, it’s so unfair. You get to play games while I have to revise _English_ ” Jin pouted as he watched Jungkook proceed to win against another boss with ease.

 

“Hey- Hey- Jungkook-ah? Wanna hear a joke about paper?” Jin spoke in English.

 

“Huh- Yeah, sure…” Jungkook quickly paused the game to pay his full attention to Jin.

 

Jin grinned, looking almost criminally beautiful, and answered. “Never mind, it’s TEAR-able.” And with that, he burst into loud peals of laughter. Jungkook chuckled along- not at the joke, but rather due to Jin’s contagious laugh.

 

After a few minutes, the older of the two finally calmed enough. He still had an easy smile on as he glanced back at the notes on his lap then back at Jungkook. His smile turned slightly sadder, almost bitter.

 

“I… I’m not as good in English as the others. TaeTae, Jiminie and even Hoseokie, they always had an easier time learning it. My Joonie is a brilliant teacher, and he’s always so sweet when he tries to explain it all to me. But I don’t know- it’s just not my strong point. TaeTae-ah is kind enough to make detailed notes for all of us to get into the top ten, but even with those, I have to try really really hard to grasp English.” Jin confided, placing the notes down and leaning back to rest on his palms. He let out a soft sigh before continuing.

 

“Looking at you, being allowed to slack off- I don’t know, I’m a little envious you don’t _have_ to reach top ten and you can slack off.”

 

Jungkook snorted, before turning to properly face the older boy, finally placing the game down. “My mother and father both work really hard to earn the money for the school’s tution, just to follow my selfish demands of staying in Korea. I may not _have_ to reach top ten, but I still have to work hard so that I don’t fail and disappoint them. And here I am, just-“ Jungkook sighed, “It feels like a waste, really. I hate this.”

 

 Jin smiled softly at Jungkook’s words, “You’re a good kid, even if you look like a gang leader.” Jungkook blinked. _Was that a complement?_

“You’re smart too- you know, I can tell. Compared to that, I- I’m just a guy with a handsome face and wide shoulders.” Jin gave a self-depreciating laugh as he stared at his notes again. “Ah- I really do want to work hard too, though. So that Joonie can be proud of me… maybe…”

 

Jungkook could only stare at Jin softly as Jin shared some of his troubles. He was touched that Jin saw him as someone close enough to share such thoughts. A really large part of him wanted to reach out and hug the boy, something he had never comfortably done to anyone but his parents.  And so he did just that.

 

With his free hand, he pulled the other boy closer, resting his own head on Jin’s shoulder. “Hyung, you are amazing. You are popular, do well in school, work as a model and still have enough of a heart to take care of others. Even with your loud laugh and silly jokes, you’re really a great person.  A… And I can help you with a bit of English- if you help me with Maths and History.” Jungkook shyly offered

 

Jin cooed at the younger boy, “It’s alright- how about I unlock that cuff and let’s study together?” He asked as he got up to retrieve the key from where Taehyung left it.

 

Together, the two spent the rest of the night studying and helping each other. Jin sometimes cracked a joke or two in English, keeping the atmosphere light, and Jungkook could help but feel happy to hang out with the true Jin- not the façade he wore in front of the rest of the school.

 

Deep down Jungkook wondered if Taehyung also had a warm and sweet side to him or not, but he quickly dismissed the idea.

 

* * *

 

Taehyung approached the sleeping duo on the table as silently as he could. He couldn’t help but sigh at the mess they left at the table, before he quickly began gathering up the mess of papers. One caught his attention- a practice paper he made specifically for Jin in English. It was filled with red ink, with notes and advices in a handwriting he could not recognize. Surprised, he shuffled through the rest of the pages in his hand, finding most of them to be of English. He finally paused when he caught sight of another one of his practice tests, this time devoid of red ink.

 

His gaze softened when he looked back at the two sleeping boys again. Taehyung approached the sleeping Jin and shook him awake. Quietly he ushered the older boy back into his own room, promising to clean up for him and wake Jungkook too.

 

After that, he returned to the table, silently creeping behind Jungkook. “Jungkookie-ah,” Taehyung sighed, running a hand through Jungkook’s surprisingly soft hair. Jungkook stirred, but stubbornly stayed asleep.

 

Taehyung didn’t stop the smile that grew at the sleepy grumble Jungkook released, silently stripping his warm jacket off and placing it carefully around Jungkook’s shoulders. He knew Jin would probably murder him for it later, but he decided to let Jungkook sleep peacefully on the table.

 

“Good Night Jungkookie-ah.”

 

* * *

 

The exams flew by in blur, and before Jungkook knew it, it was the day they got back their results. Jungkook could only wince, remembering the little time he had gotten to prepare for them. He could only hope his grades didn’t drop too low- his eomma wouldn’t hesitate to kill him if that happened.

 

Hesitantly, he accepted the envelope holding his grades from the teacher, bowing in thanks before heading back outside to open it. To say he was surprised would be an understatement. At the top of the page, written in bold letters, said ‘ _Jeon Jungkook. Rank: 13’_

 

“Woah, Jungkook. You did great!” A voice complemented from behind him, snapping Jungkook out of his shocked daze.

 

“Uh- Thanks Jimin-hyung”

 

Jimin grinned roguishly, running a hand through his hair. “Hey, the others are waiting up the stairs, let’s go.”

 

Jungkook merely nodded and Jimin proceeded to drag him up.

 

“Whoo~ Jungkookie-ah! I got 7th place!” Jin sprung up from where he sat, engulfing Jungkook into a hug. Jungkook blushed feeling happy for his friend, but still surprised at the sudden skinship outside. Thankfully they were at a slightly secluded place, away from prying eyes.

 

“That’s pretty cool Jin-hyung” He mumbled, feeling extremely shy all of a sudden.

 

“Awee Jungkook-ah, no need to feel shy~” Jin released Jungkook from the hug. “We’re living together under the same roof- we're all like brothers!”

 

 _Like…. Brothers?_ Jungkook’s mind flashed back to the many times people ignored him or feared him because of what he wore or how he looked, then at the happy moments spent with Jin, Jimin and even Namjoon. How warm and welcoming they were, with their own quirks; even if they were not actual angels, they were still uniquely perfect in their own ways.

 

Tears flooded Jungkook’s eyes and he had to bite his lower lip to try and keep them at bay. Jin fretted, worried at the sudden change of moods, and even Namjoon had gotten up from where he sat in concern. Jimin, too, began panicking while Hoseok just snorted at the entire emotional ordeal.

 

Jungkook knew, in a way, that Jin wasn’t really serious when he said that- but… it really made him happy.

 

“Yah, Jin-hyung. Don’t go around making other people’s boyfriends cry” Taehyung suddenly came up from behind him, reaching out to bring Jungkook closer to his chest even as Jungkook began to calm down.

 

Jin just snorted before grinning again. He immediately began to gush that he actually managed to reach 7th place- usually he’s around 9th place.

 

“Yeah Yeah, Jin- I’ve heard it already.” Despite the cold words, Taehyung had a small smile on his face. Jungkook glanced at him from the corner of his eyes, surprised to see the warmth evident the small smile.

 

Taehyung suddenly met his eyes, and when Jungkook tried to look away, Taehyung’s face suddenly darkened. “Guess what else did I hear- Jungkookie? Something about how your grades went up. How nice, isn’t it?”

 

Jungkook winced at the poisonous tone Taehyung used. _Damn- He’s mad at me._  Jungkook braced himself from Taehyung’s anger.

 

A hand reached out to his head, long fingers ruffling through his hair, and Jungkook opened his eyes in confusion. Taehyung smiled, soft and sweet and Jungkook could feel his breath catching.

 

“You help Jin-hyung quite a bit, so I’ll let it slide for now. Good Job Jungkookie-ah” Taehyung grinned, and Jungkook couldn’t help but admire how the sudden softness in Taehyung’s eyes and his smile made him look almost otherworldly.

 

Taehyung walked away to congratulate the others, and Jungkook stood staring at the place the boy once was. _D-d-did Taehyung just praise me? No insults and no harassment?_ Jungkook blushed heavily, unaware of a pair of eyes watching him dully.

 

“- I knew something like this could happen, so I asked Jimin to prepare a plan B” Taehyung spoke up.

 

… _Plan B?_ Jungkook watched in confusion as Taehyung whipped out his phone, showing them all the main page of the student server. Right there, in first place of recently uploaded videos, was another Bangtan Bomb. Proudly, he clicked on it.

 

The video played- first showing scenes of Jungkook and Taehyung’s short library date, then of Jin helping Jungkook in a few questions. Jungkook noted that none of Jin’s jokes were in the video, nor the other moments the older boy was truly enjoying himself. By the end of it all, a short text wrote: ‘ _From Fs to As, the Bangtan Boys were sweet and helpful enough to tutor him on him studies. Now, Taehyung’s new delinquent boyfriend, Jeon Jungkook, places 13 th in the class rankings thanks to their care.’_

Jungkook gawked at the video while Taehyung giggled and praised Jimin for his hard work. Namjoon and Jin were lost in their own world together, sharing soft kisses and ignoring the video. None of them noticed Hoseok get up and suddenly leave.

 

* * *

 

Hoseok let out a short huff in annoyance once he was sure he was out of sight. He quietly walked through the school halls, making his way towards the dance practice rooms while dully staring ahead. It was only when he reached the aforementioned rooms, thankfully empty, did he play the music and let his frustrations go.

 

He spun and danced to the beat, going through one complex move to another. He had been the one to teach Jimin how to dance, and though Hoseok stopped dancing as frequently- since he had an image of the always smiling, always helpful art student to portray- he nailed each move to a T. Not that he realized. To him, at the moment, the world was reduced to only him and the music. 

 

An hour passed before he stopped, taking deep breaths to calm himself. He leaned his head against one of the cool mirrored walls of the dance room and let his thoughts wander again. _Ever since_ he _came, things have been quite bothersome._ He mused, pursing his lips slightly. He took another glance at the mirror, watching his soulless eye gaze back at him, before pushing away from the wall and beginning a dance routine all over again. He didn’t want his thoughts to wander into that direction again, especially since it’s not his duty to worry about Taehyung- not anymore.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the second part of the previous chapter. (V)  
> I feel that Jungkook's not really portrayed consistently. Like one moment he feels annoyed, and the other moment he feels touched again and again.  
> Promise, I'm trying to work on it though, its just that I feel its normal for a person to annoyed at one point but Jungkook's gullibility makes him fall for the same thing over and over again.


End file.
